I recently watched a lecture by another screenwriting professor who said that a great way to write a screenplay is to first decide what emotions you want to evoke in the audience and then reverse engineer an archetypal screenplay that induces that effect. After you identify the cognitive outcome you want to achieve, you trace it back to the particular story structure in the script that causes that effect. I think this is how JJ Abrams came up with "The force awakens." He "reverse-engineered" George Lucas's masterpiece "A new hope." The lecturer claimed Shakespeare also reverse-engineered several of his stories.
On the one hand, I can see how I can benefit by learning from the masters. On the other hand, it seems like an engineer's approach, not that of a storyteller or artist. For me, the audience's emotions should come naturally from the story. It might not only be from the story structure. What if it comes from empathy for the characters or some other source? I think we should write the stories inside us and let the emotions they give rise to occur naturally. For me, it is the story first. Perhaps I misunderstand him or am just plain wrong. What do you think? Is there merit to his approach of "reverse engineering"?
Thanks, Hein, for listening, and for your thoughtful comments.
As many writers as there are, that's how many styles and processes and methodologies there are. I believe every writer should work in whatever way works for them. That said, I wholly agree with you. As I have said in the past, there's a difference between assembling a tale for the screen and playing with Tinker Toys. I'm totally in agreement with you when you say: I think we should write the stories inside us and let the emotions they give rise to occur naturally. For me, it is the story first.
I suppose you have to decide whether you want to make the audience laugh, cry or scare the bejeezus out of them for Halloween, but I don't think you should "reverse engineer" films like a machine. There's more to great stories than structure. Every adventure film need not be "the hero's journey." We need to come up with something fresh.
Thank you so much for the advice on finances.
I recently watched a lecture by another screenwriting professor who said that a great way to write a screenplay is to first decide what emotions you want to evoke in the audience and then reverse engineer an archetypal screenplay that induces that effect. After you identify the cognitive outcome you want to achieve, you trace it back to the particular story structure in the script that causes that effect. I think this is how JJ Abrams came up with "The force awakens." He "reverse-engineered" George Lucas's masterpiece "A new hope." The lecturer claimed Shakespeare also reverse-engineered several of his stories.
On the one hand, I can see how I can benefit by learning from the masters. On the other hand, it seems like an engineer's approach, not that of a storyteller or artist. For me, the audience's emotions should come naturally from the story. It might not only be from the story structure. What if it comes from empathy for the characters or some other source? I think we should write the stories inside us and let the emotions they give rise to occur naturally. For me, it is the story first. Perhaps I misunderstand him or am just plain wrong. What do you think? Is there merit to his approach of "reverse engineering"?
Thank you for your insights.
Kind regards.
Hein
Thanks, Hein, for listening, and for your thoughtful comments.
As many writers as there are, that's how many styles and processes and methodologies there are. I believe every writer should work in whatever way works for them. That said, I wholly agree with you. As I have said in the past, there's a difference between assembling a tale for the screen and playing with Tinker Toys. I'm totally in agreement with you when you say: I think we should write the stories inside us and let the emotions they give rise to occur naturally. For me, it is the story first.
I suppose you have to decide whether you want to make the audience laugh, cry or scare the bejeezus out of them for Halloween, but I don't think you should "reverse engineer" films like a machine. There's more to great stories than structure. Every adventure film need not be "the hero's journey." We need to come up with something fresh.
Thank you. Enjoy your day.